Vtolds;
I am not sure where you are disagreeing. The point was, the irrelevance of which factory produced the frame. If your point is that better components can reduce the impact of frame quality, I think that means we agree.
Also, I used the word tend, for a very real reason. Many people wouldn’t consider Transition a brand name bike. If you order a complete Transition, the build uses after market parts vs. the OEM parts the come with bikes from the big boys. Anyone who has been wrenching bikes for a while knows many after market parts are superior to their OEM siblings.
My point here, has nothing to do with method of purchase. Indeed, I make most of my purchases online. I speak to that later in the post.
Perhaps it’s the term "bike shop brand." I meant that as the inverse of bikes sold at Sears, Wal-Mart, and Target.